Perseverance is Key
by sunset of my sunrise
Summary: Faberry story. Repost from another site. Quinn loves Rachael, but Rachael is dead set against it. What happens when they attend Julliard together?
1. Chapter 1

I couldn't believe that this was it. The moment we have all been waiting for, the last day of high school, is finally here. No more homework every day, no more slushy facials, and best of all, no more annoying teenage boys drooling over me as I walked the halls. When were they going to learn they had no chance with me? Quinn Fabray had her sights on someone so much better.

I stepped out of my car, yawning in the early morning air as I walked across the McKinley high parking lot. I took the time to take in my surroundings, a weird giddy feeling passing over my skin as I thought about what today meant. I was finally going to do it. I was going to tell her how I felt. A rush of adrenaline shot through my veins as I pushed through the main doors, my stride aimed towards the choir room.

I knew she would be in there; the girl practically lived in there for the past four years. My heart started to pick up speed as I heard the gentle notes from the piano wafting through the halls. The melody was so beautiful it sent slight shivers over my skin and caused my stride to slow down as I basked in the wonderful harmony coming from the tips of her fingers. I couldn't help but smile as I heard her strong voice finally make an appearance over the piano, creating a perfect blend of music. I was in awe of her voice, but more in awe of her person.

My steps slowed to almost a stop as I found myself turning the corner into the choir room. My smile brightened as I watched her silently, leaning against the door frame for support. She was so mesmerising that it took my breath away to watch her. If I had all day I would have stayed there until my legs gave way, however I was on a mission.

I entered the choir room soundlessly, making my way around the piano to face her. As soon as she noticed me standing there, her playing stopped and she looked up at me wide eyed.

"Hello Quinn. What do I owe this interruption to?" she spoke in her usual confident manner as I smiled down at her from across the instrument.

"Nothing, I just got caught up listening to the beautiful music I heard coming from in here so I decided I would come check it out. I like it, Berry," I spoke quietly, the smile still playing on my face. My grin widened when I noticed her slight blush at my comment before she looked away and started packing up her music sheets.

"Uh, thank you Quinn. While I am positive there is most likely some ulterior motive for you being here, I thank you for your positive comment. If you will excuse me, I need to finish packing up my belongings from my locker," Rachael said quickly, sliding her music into her bag. I realised now would be my only shot at this before the rest of the Glee club got here and I wouldn't get her alone again.

"Wait, Rachael stop," I said, walking around the piano to her, "I need to tell you something before I never see you again." My heart started to pick up again as I saw her face morph into concern and she placed her bag down on the piano bench. She took a few steps towards me, her eyes peering into mine curiously.

"What's wrong Quinn? Does this have anything to do with Beth? I already told you I don't talk to my mother anymore," Rachael started to ramble before I shook my head, covering her mouth with my hand.

"This has nothing to do with Beth, or anyone else for that matter. This only has to do with you and me," I said while taking another step towards her, pulling my hand away. She looked up at me curiously for only a second before my lips brushed against hers in a gentle kiss. "I love you Rachael," I breathed, a little dazed from my spontaneous decision.

It only took another second for me to realize that I made a mistake. Her eyes were wide with confusion and anger as she backed away, snatching her bag from the piano bench.

"What on earth do you think you are doing Quinn? Is this some kind of sick parting joke for you? If so I hope you have a fun time laughing at me because one day when I'm a famous singer and you are still in Lima working at a dead end job, I will be the one who's laughing. Now if you will excuse me I have other matters I must attend to other then being made into a fool," she finished haughtily, pivoting around and heading towards the door.

My eyes were wide with shock, not entirely expecting this reaction. Yes, I can see her logic behind her accusations, but can't she at least give me a chance? I stood there wide eyed for a few moments, only the sound of the choir room door slamming pulling me out of my thoughts. I had to explain this to her, it was my only chance.

I ran out of the choir room, scanning the hall for any sight of the shorter girl. I spotted her stalking down the opposite hall way, almost out the doors. I needed to get her attention.

"Rachael Berry, stop your diva ass right there and listen to me!" I yelled down the hall, thankful that it was so early in the morning so that there were only a few students around. Luckily for me, she stopped walking and turned around to face me.

As I got closer I felt the sting over her glare penetrate into mine as our eyes connected. I stopped within a few steps from her, my mouth turned into a frown.

"Listen to me. I wasn't trying to make a fool of you at all! Why the hell would I kiss you if this was all just a joke? Think about it Berry!" I practically yelled, forgetting about the students that were making their way into the school behind Rachael. I could see the wheels turning in her brain before she spoke finally.

"I am truly sorry Quinn if this is not a cruel prank. Just because I have two gay dads' does not mean that I too am gay. If this is true and you really do have these feelings for me, I am sorry to say the feelings are not reciprocated. I am truly sorry Quinn, but it is for the best anyways. I'm sorry; I have to go catch up with Finn on the football field. I'm so sorry," she finished, turning away from me and making her way through the doors. I couldn't let it end this way, not a chance in hell.

"I don't give up that easily Berry! Just remember that!" I called after her. I knew she heard me because she gave me a small sad smile over her shoulder before she turned away and never looked back. I sighed; my heart hurting from the emotional strain it had just gone through.

I turned around and made my way to my locker, pulling out all the random papers and shoving them into my bag. I picked up one neatly torn open envelope and fingered it between my thumb and forefinger.

"Hey Q. heard you finally told Ru Paul how you feel about her. Sorry things never worked out the way you wanted too," my best friend Santana said with as much sincerity she was capable of. I only shrugged and stared down at the acceptance letter I held in my hand. She must have followed my gaze as I heard her chuckle and sigh before she continued, "I heard she got accepted there too. Maybe you will have another chance?"

I took a deep breath, digesting this news. Had I applied because I knew Rachael would probably be accepted? Not at all. It was only a bonus that she got accepted into the same performing arts school I plan to attend to further my studies in dance.

Maybe there was still a chance, as Santana said. I smiled at this thought as I folded the acceptance letter from Juilliard back up and placed it neatly in my bag.

I wasn't lying when I said I don't give up that easily.


	2. Chapter 2

The summer passed at its usual pace. After the first few weeks of exciting freedom, the days started to pass by at a sickeningly slow motion that had all of us begging for classes to start again. It was a little weird not going back to McKinley, but once I stepped in through the main doors of Juilliard I knew I would love it here.

Students and parents bustled about, trying to figure out where their dorms and classes were located. I gripped my suitcase tighter in my fist, afraid that in the madness it would somehow get lost. Luckily my mother made the trip with me, so I had someone to help me find my way through this madhouse.

"It looks like your dorm is this way, Quinnie," my mom spoke from next to me, pointing in the direction of a large brown building. I nodded and we set off across campus, watching as many of my new classmates stared around just as clueless as I felt.

We made our way into the building, following the numbers on the doors until we reached room 36. I pulled out the key that was given to me by the lady at registration and unlocked the door, stepping inside my new room. The first thing I noticed was that it was a lot bigger then what I imagined it to be. There was a small living room with a couch and a television, a little kitchen area consisting of a microwave, table and chairs and there were three doors leading off of the living space.

I pushed open the first door and noticed that there was already a suitcase and someone's belongings strewn over the bed. I guess my roommate had already found her way here and went out to do some exploring. I shrugged and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind me. Mom had already made her way over to the other bedroom, so I followed her and threw my suitcase onto my bed with a creak. I glanced around and smiled at my new room. The walls were a light blue, matching almost perfectly with my new bed spread. There were a few bare shelves on the walls, a small closet and a dresser. I sighed contently and sat back on my bed, staring out the small window across my room. I wonder if she was here right now, doing the exact same thing I was.

"Quinnie, I'm going to head down to the administration desk to check you in to your dorm room ok? I will be back in a few minutes sweetie," my mom smiled as she shut the door behind her. I heard her heels click all the way to the front door until the door shut and I was left in silence. It was then I let my thoughts drift to Rachael.

What would I say if I saw her around? We hadn't spoken one word since the last day of high school. As far as I know she doesn't even know that I'm here. What if she thinks I am stalking her? I'm totally not! For all I know, she isn't even going to be here. It's not like Santana is the most reliable source of information. Oh god, what if she isn't here? Could I really go a whole school year without seeing her? In high school I could at least see her every day, even though I was the world's biggest bitch. Oh fuck, she totally hates me. I made her life hell in high school, and this is my punishment. A year without Rachael was a painful thought. I hate this!

Before I was able to mentally beat myself up further my mother made her way back into my room.

"Okay, you are all registered and paid for," my mom spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice. I know she felt bad that I had to use student loans to pay for my education once dad took everything in the divorce. I gave her a smile, "Thanks mom."

She smiled back at me and threw out her arms. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her, putting all my thanks and love into that one motion. "I love you mommy, and thank you for everything," I whispered as we pulled back, teary eyed. She only smiled and cupped my cheek before she turned away and stepped towards the door. As she reached for the handle she turned back and gave me a sad smile, "I am very proud of you Quinn. You were always my favourite daughter, and you always will be no matter what. Now go get your girl," she said with a wink before she left. I laughed and covered my face in embarrassment. I told mom about my crush on Rachael over the summer and surprisingly, she was cool with it. In fact she even picked up pamphlets and books on LGBT topics, much to my delight.

I sat back down on my bed, contemplating what to do now. Now that mom was gone, I was on my own. I decided instead of sitting in here like a mope, I would head outside and have a walk around to explore campus. I grabbed my keys, stuffing them into my purse before I left the comfort of my dorm.

Once outside, the excitement came back to me that I was in university. I could have a fresh start without having the title "bitch" slapped onto my forehead. This brought a smile to my lips as I thought about how different things would be now.

I made my way down one of the paths outside, watching as students were still piling in from the various entrances to the grounds. You could tell who was new to the school from those who were coming back. Those who were coming back from summer vacation greeted each other with hugs and walked confidently towards their respective areas. Those, like me, who stepped onto campus for the first time today, were standing around awkwardly with the deer in headlights look upon their faces. I grinned and took a deep breath, trying to calm my own nerves that were starting to get to me.

I was leaning against a railing, observing the crowd around me when I heard her voice close by.

"Yes Daddy, I know. Dad, calm down. College is a necessary portal for self-expression and self-discovery that everyone must take part in at some point of time in their life in order to fulfil their dreams. Just as I am here to fulfil my dream of becoming a famous singer on Broadway!" Rachael's voice echoed in my head as I sought out her face in the crowd. Soon enough, there she was. My breath hitched in my throat as I took in her appearance.

She seemed to have shed the animal sweaters and argyle knee socks for something a little more mature. Instead of her usual knitted outfit she was wearing an olive green pea coat and black pants, with what looked like a black stylish turtle neck. I had to clamp my mouth shut from drooling all over the ground as I watched her moved closer to me.

It soon became clear that she was headed for the door located just right of me, meaning she would have to pass by my spot against the rail to get inside. I froze, not sure whether to stay or leave my position. As much as my body wanted to get out of the awkward situation that would surely occur, my heart told me to stay. So I did.

I tried averting my eyes as she and her father's got closer, however that proved to be impossible as the gravity pull of her presence caused me to stare at her as she passed by. Our gaze connected for a second before she did a double take, her eyes going wide with shock. However, instead of stopping she rushed by me and through the doors next to me, leaving me there by myself.

Fucking perfect, she hates me. I closed my eyes momentarily to collect my thoughts before I willed my body back to my dorm. That was enough exploring for one day.

**A/N. Sorry, I didn't know how to put an Authors note in here before. I'm not used to uploading on this site, so don't mind me if things are a little weird for a while. Obviously I do not own any of these characters (as well in the first chapter) they belong to the show Glee. The only thing I own is the plot behind this story. **

**Thank you to those of you who left a review, it was very kind of you! Bear with me on this, I will try and upload as much as I can. **


	3. Chapter 3

When I got back to my dorm I came face to face with a petite redhead.

"Oh my gosh, hi! You must be my roommate! My name is Olivia Stevens, what's your name?" the girl spoke in a cute southern accent. She extended her hand which I shook immediately and offered her a warm smile. "My name is Quinn Fabray, nice to meet you."

She grinned and moved over to the couch, motioning for me to join her. I followed her over and sat against the opposite arm rest, facing her. She was the first one to speak, "so where ya from, darlin?"

"Lima, Ohio. Yourself?" I asked politely, slightly endeared by her southern charm. She replied that she was born and raised in Texas, and that her family owned a successful law firm. She explained to me that even though law was a great profession, her heart belonged with dance. I completely understood where she was coming from.

We chatted for a while about different things. She told me all about her boyfriend back at home and how they planned to get married once they both finished school. It wasn't until she asked me if there were any boys in my life, did I start to get uncomfortable.

"Um, no not really. I mean, I have dated boys in the past but not even my dad is in my life," I trailed off, frowning in thought. I felt Olivia rest her hand on my knee and looked up into her sympathetic smile. "I know how you feel, I lost my mom when I was only young as well," she said softly. I wanted to explain to her that my dad wasn't dead and that he was simply a douche bag, but she changed the subject before I got the chance.

We sat around until dinner, talking about our home towns and our friends. I told her all about McKinley and she was jealous that we had a Glee club. She had tried to arrange one at her school but there were never enough members. From there I told her about the slushy facials and cruel jokes that were put in place at our expense.

At six o'clock we made our way outside and towards the dining hall. Luckily for us, it was only located next door. We rushed inside to get out of the cold, giggling with each other over how surreal this was.

After we paid for our food and sat down at one of the small tables, my attention was immediately grabbed by a girl walking in through the main doors. She looked around wide eyed before another girl followed her in and they both set off to buy their dinners. I watched her all the way to the line until my field of view was blocked by a pale hand waving in my face.

"Earth to Quinn, are you spacing out there sweetie?" Olivia's voice awoke me from my trance and I focused back on her. I gave my head a slight shake and grinned, digging into my mac and cheese. I could feel Olivia staring at me. "I just saw someone I knew from high school," I explained, leaving out the part that I was madly in love with the girl. She seemed to accept this answer as she picked up her fork and tucked in.

A few minutes later Olivia squealed and jumped up, wrapping her arms around a tall brunette. "Holy cow Sandra, you never told me you were coming here for school! This is great!" Olivia cried out in excitement, earning a few looks from those around us. I grinned and shook my head, already getting used to the girls eccentric behaviour. "Oh my, and who is this?" my roommate said politely, looking around her friend.

My breath hitched in my throat as Rachel Berry shook hands with my roommate, offering her one of her award winning smiles. My heart melted at the sight and it was all I could do to not jump over the table and shower her with kisses. I was going to say hi to her, until I remembered how she reacted earlier this morning. Upon this realization, I drew back and stared down at my plate. I could tell she saw me there once I heard her take in a deep breath of air. I continued to stare down at my plate until Rachel excused herself and left our table. Once she left I looked up and locked eyes with Olivia. She looked like she was about to question what had just happened but I shook my head and pleaded silently for her to drop the subject.

I just needed to clear my head. Once I got settled in to college life, I would surely find a way to woo Rachel Berry.

**A/N: Sooo, a lot of you thought I was going to make Rachel her roommate? Seriously, that would be too easy. All Quinn would have to do is walk around in her underwear for a few days before Rachel would crack, don't ya think? Would work on me ;P I know this chapter was boring, but I'm sorry! I had to get the bases out of the way so I can get to the good stuff ;P Hope you are enjoying my little adventure into the Faberry world! **


	4. Chapter 4

The first month of classes went by at a crazy pace. After the first few days of classes my instructors decided all at once that they were going to pile on the routines and assignments, leaving me with little to no time to worry about Rachel. School, plus my part time job at a local diner had my schedule pretty packed. It wasn't until Olivia cornered me in our kitchen the week before Halloween did I finally start to realise I had no life.

"Quinn! Darlin', you need to slow down. I hardly see you around here anymore and I'm your roommate! The only times I see you are in class or as your flying by my door, late for work. Sweetie, you need to have a night off," she spoke softly before she perked up and squealed excitedly, "and I know exactly what you're going to do!"

I spent the next week fitting in dance practice around my work schedule, school and Olivia's constant shopping trips. She wasn't lying when she said we would be the best looking girls there.

It was Halloween night and I was standing in front of my mirror, staring at my costume. It was like a flashback from my past as I stared at myself in my preppy cheerleader costume. However, instead of the McKinley High letters across the front, there was a neat JSM in recognition of our school. I smiled faintly, remembering how great it felt to be part of the Cheerio's back in Lima. It was empowering and gave me everything I wanted in that school. The sad part was that I used it to my advantage. I will never deny that I was a class A bitch back then. I could understand why Rachel won't even come near me, I wouldn't either. I guess it was up to me to fix that.

Just as I was applying the finishing touches on my makeup, Olivia came bouncing into my room with a huge grin on her face. "Quinn! Oh my god, you look hot!" she squealed before flipping open her phone and snapping a pic of the both of us. She then proceeded to take a pic of just herself, stating that she was going to send it to her boyfriend later. I chuckled and followed her as she left my room and headed towards the front door.

We arrived at the party fifteen minutes later, music vibrating from the interior of the off campus house. I glanced around, taking in all the different costumes and smiling. There had been parties in Lima, but nothing like this. There were so many people in different stages of drunkenness, and for a moment I worried about the police. However that thought quickly slipped my mind as Olivia pulled me through the front door and directly towards the keg in the back.

"Drink up sweetie, you deserve it!" she yelled over the music, shoving a cup of beer into my hand. I obliged and downed half the cup in a few gulps, grinning at the red head. She got a cup for herself and we made our way through the house. As we entered the hallway Olivia grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hall, her voice excited as we reached her destination.

"Sandra! Great to see you again girl!" my roommate gushed as she hugged her friend. I smiled politely and said hi, taking another long sip of my beer. Olivia started chatting away to Sandra while I sipped on my drink, only stopping when I drank but nothing came out.

"I'm going to get another beer," I said to them before I made my way back to the keg. I filled my cup up once and downed it while I was standing there. I don't know what was into me tonight, I just wanted to let loose. While I was busy filling up my third cup some guy came up behind me and started to flirt with me, talking about how he was a drummer in a band. I quickly told him what he could do with his drumsticks before I turned away, walking back towards my friend.

By this point I was starting to feel the tell-tale signs of a buzz. I was getting warm and I could feel some of my worries slipping away. By the time I reached Olivia and her friend, I felt pretty good. I took another long gulp of my beer before joining into the conversation with a loud laugh. They all turned to look at me, including one face that I hadn't seen since that first day of classes.

If I was sober I probably would have felt nervous at that point, but my buzz was strong and I didn't really give a fuck. If anything bad happened, I would just blame it on Olivia. She was the one who wanted me to let loose tonight. I glanced over at Rachel again and flashed a bright smile. She nodded at me and gave me a small apprehensive smile.

"Quinn, how many beers did you have when you were gone?" Olivia laughed as I grinned sloppily at her, trying to count on my fingers. I was never a heavy drinker, and it didn't take much in order for me to get wasted. "Uh, four?" I questioned, taking another long swig. She only grinned and shook her head at the other girls before she spotted someone else she knew.

"Oh my gosh Sandra, there's Danny from back home! Common' let's go say hello!" she yelled, grabbing Sandra and hauling her away. I could hear the friends reunite and I laughed to myself, my eyes finally focusing on Rachel. She was staring at the floor, one hand holding a mostly full beer cup with her other arm wrapped protectively around herself. I took a step closer to her, wobbling slightly causing me to grab onto her shoulder in support.

"Sorry," I drawled, leaning against the wall to steady myself. She frowned, staring at me as I finished my fifth beer. I could really feel the alcohol in my body now and it felt good. It was a great relief from the constant hectic schedule I had put myself through for the last month. I smiled at her again and heard my favourite song come on through the speakers in the house.

"Rachel! Dance with me, this is my favourite song!" I cried, grinning like a fool and trying to grab her hands. She pulled them away and folded her arms as I shrugged and started to gyrate to the beat of the song. I was really getting into it when I heard some asshole wolf whistle at me as he tried to join in. I immediately stopped dancing and pushed him away from me, moving closer to Rachel who jumped at my contact. I turned to her and pouted, sad that my dancing had been ruined thanks to that baboon. She rolled her eyes, which surprised me, and hauled me down the hallway to an empty room. As soon as she shut the door she pointed to the bed.

"Sit," she said firmly. I did, giggling as I fell back against the mattress. The world was spinning even as I lay still. It was tripping me out so I sat up and stared at Rachel. She was frowning and was once again staring at the floor. She did that a lot around me.

"Did you take me in here so you could have your way with me?" I joked, laughing too loud at my words. She looked horrified and frantically shook her head, her eyes wide as saucers.

"No, I most certainly did not Quinn Fabray. You are highly intoxicated and I was not planning on trying to explain to the police officer that would surely catch on to your stumbling on the way back to campus exactly why both of us have alcohol in our systems. I brought you to this room so you could sober up without making a further fool of yourself," she finished, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. I was confused.

"Why don't you sit up here?" I asked, pointing to the bed next to me. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head, not answering my question. My heart sunk and suddenly I was sad, lying down with my face into the blankets. "Why do you hate me, Rachel?" I mumbled.

I heard her sigh. "I don't hate you Quinn," she said simply. I sat up again, stopping for a second as my world spun. I finally managed to look at her again. "Then why do you act so weird around me?" I questioned, falling back on the bed. I'm sure I was giving her whiplash from my sudden changes in positions.

"I am not answering that question, you should already know the answer," she spoke clearly, and I heard the flipping of pages. I peeked around and saw that she was now flipping through a magazine that was left on the desk. I laid my head back down and thought about what she said. I sighed and rolled over onto my stomach, my body laying the full length of the bed. Finally taking in her costume for the first time tonight, I was delightfully shocked. She was dressed in a black lady gaga type dress with an oversized black bow in her hair. Her makeup was exaggerated, but her eyes were beautiful as ever. I stared at her, mesmerised for a few moments, or hours, who knows. "Your beautiful," I mumbled my eye lids dropping as she glanced up at my words. Before I passed out I watched as she let out a long sigh and shook her head, clearly flustered as she turned back to her magazine.

Rachel Berry, you will be mine.

**A/N: There, some Rachel/Quinn interaction. This story goes by a little slow guys, it's not just BAM, they are together. That would be no fun, eh? Thanks for reading! Leave me some nice reviews, what do ya say?**


	5. Chapter 5

After breakfast the following Monday, Olivia and I made our way to our first class of the day, History of Dance. We took our normal seats in the back row as Olivia started up again. "Quinn, I'm so sorry for ditching you Friday night. Sandra and I came back to look for you, but you had already disappeared. It will never happen again, I'm so sorry," my roommate pleaded, pouting. I had told her all weekend it was fine, but yet she still felt guilty. I only chuckled and assured her it was all right as the instructor walked into the classroom.

"Good morning class," Mrs. Sanchez greeted with a smile as she slipped off her jacket and placed it on the back of her chair. The class was quiet as she opened up her bag and pulled out a stack of papers, handing them to the first girl in the row, instructing her to pass them back. "Some of you know that Juilliard sponsors an annual benefit concert during the winter semester. It is open to all students who are willing to donate their time and effort into the concert for such a great cause," Mrs. Sanchez said, smiling around at us. I leaned forward in my desk, interested in what my teacher was saying. "This is a great opportunity for those of you who are planning on making big names of yourself as you move out of this school because there are always past alumni present who are more than willing to help you get started. On top of that, the student who places top out of all of the acts will receive free tuition for three years at Juilliard, so this is something to consider if you are hard for money. Signups starts right away so if you are interested, come see me after class," she finished and turned back to her desk, pulling out last week's assignments.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. Immediately after class I signed up for the benefit concert and it was all I could think of since. It took all I had to not ditch class and start planning out my routine. I already had a few songs in mind but I need a little time to think them over.

On my way back towards my dorm, I could hear a familiar voice ringing through the halls. It was a Déja-vu moment, taking me back to the last day of high school. The mixed feelings about that day found their way back into my head, stopping me in my tracks momentarily before I pivoted and headed towards the closest auditorium. Like the pervious time I was in this situation, I paused at the door. I couldn't get enough of her voice, it was awe inspiring. After a few minutes of eavesdropping on her practice time, I made my way silently into the auditorium and walked up behind her.

"Hey," I spoke softly, tapping her on the shoulder. She whipped around, her hand over her heart in shock. I smiled apologetically for interrupting her, but she only frown and took a slight step away.

"What are you doing here, this is my practice time. This isn't like High School, Quinn. You cannot just follow me to this school and intrude on my practice sessions. These moments are a crucial point in my career, and you are ruining them," she finished, frustrated. I raised my eyebrows and nodded, turning to leave. Oh, wait. I stopped and turned around, walking back towards her. "I'm sorry for Friday night. You really didn't have to take care of me like that, I know you would have rather had a good time with your new friends," I apologized meaningfully. She nodded and turned back towards her music. I took this as my cue to leave.

As I was halfway out the door I heard her call my name from behind me. I turned and stared at her from my spot in the doorway.

"Um, I was wondering if you had heard about the benefit concert," she questioned, not quite meeting my eyes. I nodded, "I sure have. It's all I have been able to think about all day. I'm guessing you already have your number all planned out, do you?" I joked. She let out a strained chuckle, shrugging before she turned away again, picking at her jeans.

I turned to walk away again, throwing one last thing over my shoulder, much to her surprise. "I have dance studio 3B booked out on Wednesday at four for the rest of the semester. Feel free to drop by sometime." With that, I was gone.

I stopped a little ways down the hall, smiling to myself. Hopefully she will take me up on that offer.

**A/N: Update 1/2 for tonight. I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I wish. Second update will be up momentarily.**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, class was so boring. My instructor was droning on and on about useless bullcrap, so I pulled out my laptop and pretended to take notes. Really I was on Facebook staring at pictures of Rachel. God, she was the most beautiful girl on this planet. I would give anything for her to love me even a quarter as much as I love her. I just want a chance to show her how I feel without her freaking out again.

Just as I was moving between photo albums, I got an IM from Santana. I still kept in touch with her and Brittany. They were living in Ohio, both taking a year off until they joined me in NY next fall. As every suspected, they were finally a couple. It took Santana a while to get past her stubborn ways but eventually Brit broke her down. I was happy for them, but I wanted the same for myself.

**[b]Santana: Hey Q, what you at?** **[/b]**

_[i]Quinn: Suffering through another boring lecture. I envy you right now._ _[/i]_

**[b]Santana: Who doesn't? How's things going with your little crush on Berry?** **[/b]**

_[i]Quinn: They aren't. I managed to get loaded on Halloween and she was there to witness it all. I don't think she's too eager to spend much time with me right now after that._ _[/i]_

**[b]Santana: I still say you kidnap her, drug her, and screw her senseless until she gives in. [/b]**

_[i]Quinn: You're disgusting. Rachel deserves more than that. I want to make her see that I love her, because I don't think she knows. I just don't know what to do without freaking her out even more. Plus on top of all of this Rachel drama I have to prepare and perfect a routine for a benefit next semester. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm really starting to miss Lima right now. [/i]_

**[b]Santana: Why don't you show her how you feel?** **[/b]**

_[i]Quinn: I already told you I'm not going to fuck her._ _[/i]_

**[b]Santana: Not what I meant, smartass. Why don't you show her how you feel by doing what you do best?** **[/b]**

_[i]Quinn: Dancing? [/i]_

**[b]Santana: Bingo.** **[/b]**

_[i]Quinn: You know S, that is probably the most useful idea you have ever given me. [/i]_

**[b]Santana: Whatever, Brit wants me. I got to go. Bye Q.** **[/b]**

Santana logged off as I closed the conversation box, resuming my browsing of Rachel's pictures. Santana really was smart sometimes.

"Order up!" Dante called from the kitchen. I rushed over, grabbing the plates from the counter and brought them over to table seven. "Is there anything else I can help you with for now?" I questioned kindly, to which they both smiled and shook their heads. I nodded and turned away, moving to clean off one of the nearby tables. This was one of the busy nights. Normally around this time it would be just starting to slow down, however tonight was a steady pace up until ten o'clock.

The diner was close to empty. There were a few customers chatting quietly in the corner and another elderly couple sitting in silence, sipping their coffee. I smiled at the peacefulness, waving goodnight to the other waitress who was off for the night. Yawning, I turned away and set to work on organizing the cutlery for tomorrow. As always during these late nights, my thoughts drifted to Rachel. After a while, I heard the door chime open from behind me. Taking an extra second to fold the napkin securely around the fork and knife, I placed the last of the utensils into the drawer for tomorrow.

When I turned around I immediately felt jitters when I saw who was sitting at the booth in the corner. Rachel seemed to be smiling to herself as she looked around expectantly. Immediately I made my way over towards her table, my smile never leaving my lips. That is until I noticed the hand attached to hers. As I got closer I recognized one of the guys from the Halloween party, uh, drummer boy. Bile rose to my throat as I stopped at their table, eyeing the guy menacingly before I turned to Rachel.

"Hey Rach," I spoke as kindly as I could. She jumped and stared at me wide eyed, a blush rising to her face as she dropped drummer boy's hand. I raised an eyebrow, a small frown planted on my face. "Oh, hi Quinn. I never knew you worked here. This is Adam; I met him at the party the other night after you fell asleep," she said trailing off at the end, looking down at the table. I nodded, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. I guess I should do my job. "What can I get you?" I asked coolly, refusing to look at the boy.

"Just coffee," Rachel spoke quietly, looking up at my guiltily. This time I couldn't help the eye roll that followed as I walked away, shaking my head slightly. How dare she flaunt this ass of a boy in front of me? She knows how I feel. After a moment of irritation and hurt, I found the coffee pot and poured up two cups of coffee. For a second I contemplated spitting in his, but decided against it. He's not worth losing my job over. Sighing, I made my way back over to their table with their coffee.

"Here," I said shortly, placing their mugs down perhaps a little harder than normal. I didn't miss the retracting hands on top of the table, just as I couldn't help the hurt look I sent to Rachel as I turned away from the sickening couple. I had to blink back tears, thinking about what this meant for me. Maybe I really had no chance with her. Maybe I should give up.

I was staring at the counter top at the front of the diner, contemplating my options, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and turned around to find Rachel's guilty eyes staring into mine.

"Quinn, I'm sorry. I know how bad this must have made you feel. I honestly had no clue you worked here, and if I did we would have gone somewhere else tonight," she said softly, her forehead creased in worry. I shrugged and took a deep breath, staring down at the slightly shorter girl.

"It's fine. It's your life, you can live it. I just wish I could be part of it," I whispered longingly, tears surfacing on my eyelids. She looked away, pursing her lips before she shook her head slightly and walked back to her date. I turned away, unable to watch them cuddle, until I heard the door chime again as they left.

Once I realised I was alone, tears started to slide down my face one by one. It just hurt so fucking bad that I couldn't have her. What hurt more was that he could.

**A/N: I do not own Glee, or any of it's characters. The story is the only thing here that's mine. I also do not own Facebook, sadly. Here's a 2/2 of my updates for tonight. I know they are a little iffy, but I'm having surgery on Thursday and I'm trying to get as much out as possible before I can't update for a while. Hopefully you enjoyed it and won't give up on me just yet. This isn't a genre I'm used to writing, so bear with me still :P**


	7. Chapter 7

The memories of last night stuck with me all the next day. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get the thought of Rachel holding hands with that guy out of my head. It hurt more than anything to know that I may never have a chance with her, but it hurt more that she felt she had to hide her relationships from me. That's not how I wanted things to be. Sure, I would give anything for her to reciprocate my feelings; however I would take being her friend over nothing.

I ran this over in my head as I parted ways with Olivia at the end of class and made my way towards the dance studio. I had finally figured out the song I wished to perform with, now I just had to come up with my routine. Normally I would start by carefully thinking it over, but today I just wanted to let lose.

Once I found the right track on the CD, I stepped towards the center of the studio floor. I counted three breaths, trying to get in the right mind set, before music started to flow through the air. I took one last deep breath before giving myself over to the song.

_I hung up the phone tonight_

_Something happened for the first time deep inside_

_It was a rush, what a rush_

_'Cause the possibility_

_That you would ever feel the same way about me_

_It's just too much, just too much_

I started out slow, my body easing into the beat. As I danced, the lyrics sent jolts of hope through to my core.

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_

_All I ever think about is you_

_You got me hypnotized_

_So mesmerized_

_And I've just got to know…_

It was as if my body wasn't mine anymore. A swirl of emotions ran around my head as the music took over my soul, pouring itself into my dance as the song took off.

_Do you ever think, when you're all alone_

_All that we could be, where this thing could go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it real or just another crush?_

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way I do?_

_'Cause I'm trying, trying to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain't going away_

_Going away_

I could feel my body loosening, my walls slowly crumbling down as I the music continued to bare my soul.

_See it's a chance we've got to take_

_Cause I believe that we can make this into_

_Something that will last, last forever…_

_forever!_

My walls shattered down as the chorus picked up, tears threatening to spill from my eyelids with every passing second. This was it, the moment I needed to finally let my emotions flow.

I continued to dance while my heart was slowly breaking down, pouring every ounce of my feelings for Rachel into each and every move my body made. Even as the song drew to a close, my body was quaking with the strong emotions that were still flowing freely through my veins. How come, if there is this great man above, I have to fall madly for someone who will never return the feelings? Why did things have to be so fucking unfair?

When the music stopped, I fell onto my knees and knelt over. It was when the first tremors of sobs shook my body and enveloped me in sadness, did I finally let the pain take over and grieve for my doomed heart.

I spent the next week wrapped up my thoughts, avoiding anything and anyone that could lead me to Rachel. The only times I left my room were to go to class, go to work or to practice my routine. The rest of my time was spent wallowing in self-pity and studying my ass off for a distraction. There was only so much you could do though, when the girl of your dreams was slowly taking the school by storm. I had heard many rumours going around that a freshman named Rachel Berry had stolen a lead role in the schools performance of Wicked. Even though I was avidly trying to avoid seeing her, I felt like not going to watch her perform would kill me.

I contemplated this as I worked Tuesday night, serving food and cleaning tables without really noticing what was going on around me. It wasn't until I heard the door open to the diner and turned to seat the customer did I finally tune in to the real world.

Rachel offered me a small wave and a tentative smile when our eyes connected. I tried to push away the feelings of sadness and pain, as I offered a small smile back and lead her to a table. I took it as a peace offering from the lord that there was no man beside her right now.

Once she was seated, her eyes found mine again and she gestured for me to take a seat across from her. I hesitated before looking around, noticing for the first time tonight that the diner was practically empty. With one final apology to my heart, I took a seat at the table and stared at her expectantly. Our eyes connected again briefly, bringing back all those feelings I had been trying to supress this past week. It didn't take much for me to get those butterflies' swirling around in there either.

"I'm sorry about last week Quinn," Rachel started, staring at me sadly. I didn't want to see those beautiful brown eyes so sad, so I nudged her hand, offering her a small smile. She smiled back, before folding her hands and leaning towards me. "You know how you had invited me to watch you during rehearsal sometime, well…" she kept talking but all I could hear were the alarms going off in my head. Oh shit, did she see what I think she saw last week?

"Quinn?" Rachel quickly broke me out of my thoughts, peering at me from under her bangs. I snapped out of it, muttering an apology as she continued. "As I was saying, I hope you don't mind, but I may have snuck in during your rehearsal last Wednesday to apologize to you. When I got there and saw your routine, I felt even worse. I didn't mean to hurt you like I did, and after thinking it over for the past week, I would really like for us to start over," she spoke quietly, her pleading eyes boring into mine. I nodded, blushing with embarrassment over what she had evidently seen. It came as a shock to me when I suddenly felt a warm sensation in my right hand and looked down to see Rachel's hand clasping mine. She gave it a small squeeze before she withdrew it, leaving me breathless no matter how short the touch.

While I was still trying to collect myself, she continued. "I understand your feelings for me aren't something that can just go away. As you obviously know, I am completely fine with homosexuals, being the daughter of two gay men. Therefore, I am perfectly okay with you. I really hope my actions towards you haven't made you think otherwise. I would feel horrible if you thought that my reluctance had anything to do with what you cannot control about yourself -," she got out before I interrupted her, wide eyed. "Rachel. I know, you don't need to worry about it," I finished with a small smile, hoping she would take that as a good sign. She smiled back, so she must have.

"I want us to be friends," she stated, simply. I gulped, and nodded, my eyes lingering over her lips as she spoke. I could see how this would be a problem, as my eyes travelled further downwards. She seemed to have noticed my wandering eyes, because when I finally made my way back up to her face, she didn't look too impressed. However, I did notice a faint blush on her cheeks. I smirked inwardly before giving her an apologetic smile. She only shook her head and sighed, picking up the menu that lay next to her. I took this as my cue. I stood up, and grinned down at her, curtsying before I spoke in the most polite voice I could, "What would you like to eat, ma'am?" She giggled, much to my delight, before listing off her order. Before I turned away, she offered me one of her classic Rachel Berry smiles, which melted me to my core. So much that I when I turned around I was so disoriented that I walked into a table.

Great, I thought as her chuckles filled the diner, I'm a goner.

**A/N: Okay, so I'm so sorry for not updating for the past month and a bit. I had surgery, which put me off schedule for a bit, then I got a job. So I've been rather busy and haven't been able to think about writing. Plus I was having issues writing the dancing part of this chapter, as to why it's so shitty. NOTE, the way I pictured her dancing to this song was more of an abstract, contemporary style. You can picture it however you want, but that's how I think of it when I'm writing her dancing: P What do you think, now that there is a bit of Quinn/Rachel interaction? I'm going to try and update as frequently as I can now, with work in the way. **

**Note: Song – Crush, by David Archuleta**


	8. Chapter 8

"So what's up between you and Rachel Berry?" Olivia questioned as we made our way towards the Julliard auditorium. I tensed, and watched the ground, carefully avoiding Olivia's questioning stare. For the past two weeks, ever since Rachel decided we could still be friends, things have been going better. That's not saying that we have girls nights out or anything, but she finally acknowledges me by using more than a frown. It made me feel better knowing that she was willing to have me around, even only as friends. Again, that's not saying I'm not completely and madly in love with her anymore, either. That's something that may never go away.

"Nothing's going on with Rachel and I," I muttered, still watching the ground. I could feel her eyes on me and before I knew it, I was being pulled away towards the cover of the trees. I stumbled and finally caught my balance, staring at my roommate like she had gone crazy. "What the hell, Olivia?" I questioned, taking a step back from the redhead.

She chuckled and shook her head. "I just figured you'd rather have this conversation somewhere a little more private than the middle of the sidewalk. Now sweetie, you know you can tell me anything right? I abide by the roommates code of honour. Anything you tell me stays with me," she stated, pointedly staring me in the eye. "Now, what's going on between you and Rachel Berry?"

We stood in silence for a moment, our eyes connected in a competitive stare of who would back down first. After a few more moments of fighting it, I figured it was no use. It was Olivia, and she never backed down from a challenge. I sighed and crossed my arms, diverting my eyes to the ground. I hadn't really come out publicly to anyone besides Rachel, Santana and my mother, could I really do this? It wasn't until I felt Olivia's hand rest comfortingly on my shoulder, did I finally cave.

"I'm in love with her," I spoke quietly, crossing my arms tighter across my chest as Olivia smiled. My heart was beating fast, just as it had before when I had told Santana and my mom. You never know when you tell someone, how they are going to react. However, when the redhead pulled me into a tight hug and chuckled cheerfully in my ear, I knew she was okay with it. "I knew it!" she squealed, bouncing lightly on her feet as she pulled back. I couldn't help the grin that rose to my face at Olivia's excitement, as I shuffled nervously in the grass. If only telling Rachel went as smoothly, I thought momentarily before Olivia grabbed my attention back to her.

"Thank you for being honest with me Quinn. Between the longing stares, and the blushes that were permanently fixed to your face whenever she was around, it was only so long before I figured it out," Olivia winked before motioning for me to follow her back to the road.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, both of us digesting what just happened, before Olivia spoke again. "So, does Rachel know?"

I nodded and frown, my thoughts shifting to the musical brunette. "Oh, she definitely knows. I confronted her on our last day of high school and confessed my love for her. She didn't take it very well though. The issue wasn't that I was gay; it was that I had a crush on her. She thought it was just another cruel prank." I added, noticing Olivia's fists clench, "I wasn't always the nicest person to her."

Olivia nodded, knowing about my past as the HBIC at McKinley.

The rest of the walk was spent answering Olivia's questions about my feelings for Rachel. They proved to be a great distraction, as it wasn't until we reached the doors to the theatre that my excitement over hearing Rachel sing flew back to me. Immediately, a huge smile graced my face and the butterflies returned. Olivia only chuckled at me, before we made our way into the dimly lit theatre.

"Which row is ours?" I questioned, making my way down the angled steps carefully avoiding tripping over my own feet. Olivia answered that we were in row C, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise before my smile grew. I would get to see my girl up closer than I thought!

We found our way to our seats with twenty minutes to spare. I was excited to be there, so excited in fact that I couldn't stay still. Olivia raised her eyebrow and motioned towards my leg that was practically jumping out of its socket in anticipation. I could only smile apologetically in response, as my nerves were out of my control. I couldn't wait to see Rachel up on stage, doing exactly what she was born to do. If Rachel wanted me as a friend, I'd be the best damn friend she's ever had. I smiled goofily to myself, while running through things that Rachel and I could do as friends. We could have a picnic! Rachel would enjoy that; I would even pack Vegan food. Friends can go to movies right? We could definitely see a movie, or even have a movie night back at my dorm! Or hers, whomevers. Oh, we could go shopping! We could go shopping for dresses, and cute tops and underwear… Oh, right. My face flushed as my mind was bombarded with thoughts of Rachel in skimpy underwear.

Of course, Olivia would choose that moment to snap me out of my thoughts by tapping me on the shoulder. "Earth to Quinn, hello in there!" she laughed, rapping on my skull with her knuckles. I could still feel the heat from my blush nestled into my skin as I once again smiled apologetically at my roommate. The smiled was reciprocated, confusing me before she spoke again. "While you were zoned out a couple of people joined us. Turn around Hun," Olivia finished by whispering the last phrase. I shot the grinning redhead a short glance before turning around and looking at the seat next to me.

Rachel smiled sadly and waved half-heartedly before leaning back into her seat with a small thud and a frown. I could see Olivia's friend Sandra sitting on the other side of Rachel, and it was then that I put two and two together. I had noticed earlier that Olivia was acting a little strange with her questions she was asking, especially about the one if I was ok to see Rachel when I wasn't expecting it. It only took a glance in Olivia's direction to know this was a set up.

I sighed, not at all complaining about seeing the girl I was head over heels about sitting in the chair next to me. Then it hit me, why was she not on stage? I turned towards Rachel.

"Hey! it's nice to see you again, but why aren't you on stage?" I questioned, noticing her frown and sad eyes. All she did in response was point to her throat. This caused me to frown as well and feel bad for the girl. "Aww, I'm sorry Baby," I paused, blushing at what accidentally slipped out. Rachel smirked a little at my expense before she shrugged. I tried again, "Perhaps it will be back by tomorrow and I can come and listen to the most beautiful girl in this school sing her heart out on stage?" I didn't fail to notice the faint blush that rose to Rachel's tan skin before the lights dimmed and the show started.

I'm not going to lie, the show was awesome. However, I knew I would go see it again once Rachel got her voice back.

After the show was over and the lights undimmed, the four of us stood up and walked out of the theatre together. Olivia and Sandra walked slightly ahead of us grinning and shooting glances back at us, clearly happy that their plan worked. I only chuckled at their lame attempt before turning my attention back to Rachel.

She looked so sad with a frown plastered upon her normally bright lips, and her eyes downcast at the ground. Without thinking I slid my arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze before bringing my arm back to my side. "Hey, don't be sad. You will get your voice back and rock this school off its hinges. Don't pretend you don't already know that Miss Berry," I teased, nudging her softly with my arm. She grinned a little at this before sighing and stopping to sit down on a nearby bench. I glanced over at our roommates who were gone far ahead, laughing to themselves in the quiet night. Without a second thought I slid into the seat next to the diva and breathed in a long stream of crisp night air. We sat in silence for a while before a thought popped into my head.

"Do you want to go out to dinner with me sometime soon?" I asked, turning to face the sad woman. Immediately her eyes widened and she looked almost terrified. Then she motioned between the two of us with her finger before whispering, "Just friends?" I laughed and nodded watching her face soften into a small smile, "Yes Rachel, just as friends. Come on, it's my treat!" I said with a grin.

After a moment of deliberation, she finally nodded and stood up again. I followed suit, keeping pace next to her as we walked back towards the dorms. As we neared hers she stopped the both of us and wrapped her arms around me in a quick hug. "Thank you," she whispered with a smile before turning and walking up the stairs towards the big oak doors.

With my body still tingling from her touch, I watched as her hips swung back and forth with each step she took. Knowing I was watching her she turned her head around and gave her hips a tiny wiggle, shooting me a laughing smile before disappearing into her dorm.

I was rooted to the spot for a moment, considering if the last few minutes of my life really happened. It wasn't until something landed on the ground in front of me did I finally snap out of my Rachel induced daze. I looked down and picked it up, upon realizing it was a rolled up ball of paper. It read,

_Quinn,_

_Thank you again for tonight, and I will be expecting you to pick me up at approximately 7pm on Saturday night for our dinner date. I have a new dress I have been dying to wear, so I expect you to take me somewhere fancy. Talk to you soon,_

_-Rachel_

_P.S. – Stop staring at my ass._

I grinned and noticed Rachel's grinning Shallotte in one of the windows on the third floor. I tucked her note into my pocket at waved goodnight, setting off towards my dorm.

Saturday couldn't come fast enough.

**A/N: Sorry about the long awaited update. I am leaving to go away for school in September where I will have no internet access for 3 months. So I'm trying my hardest to get this story finished before then. I should be able to do it but I need your encouraging comments to pull me through it :D**

**PS; Sorry if this chapter sucks. I'm not happy with it, as it didn't come out the way it was in my mind. S'ok though because it has Quinn/Rachel interaction which is what I know all of you want :P **

**Hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next one hopefully within the next week!**


	9. Chapter 9

Going to school was so exhausting. Homework and long lecture classes aside, there was also the stress of perfecting a performance that could mean the end of financial problems at least until I finished college. The thought alone sent shivers of anticipation through my spine and only pushed me further to win.

I collapsed onto my bed, my limbs weak from vigorous practice all morning. Even though my arms felt like lead and my legs like jello, I still couldn't supress the small satisfactory smile that rose to my lips from a work well done. As I lay there, I let my mind wander back to the conversation I had with Mrs. Sanchez yesterday after class.

"Quinn, can I speak to you for a minute?" Mrs. Sanchez called after class ended, startling me from my day dream about a certain petite brunette. Flustered, I made my way up to the front of the class. My professor greeted me with a genuine smile and motioned for me to take a seat at her desk. I followed and stared expectantly, albeit a little nervously, at my grinning teacher.

"You are making great progress, Miss Fabray," she stated, shuffling through a stack of papers from her briefcase, "I think you have a serious chance of winning that scholarship after the benefit concert." Once those final words left her mouth, my jaw dropped. Did she really think I had a chance? Was I really that good? I mean, I've seen a lot of the dance students that attend school here. There is no way I'm better than many of them. My train of thought was however interrupted by my teacher speaking again. "However, if you wish to obtain that scholarship, I suggest you spend the rest of this semester pruning and perfecting your dance. I think you can do it, Miss Fabray," she finished by flashing me her smile and standing up.

I couldn't really say much but blubber out a thank you as I stumbled out the door, followed by my chuckling teacher. It was then that I went straight to the booking room and booked out every Saturday morning until January.

Now, lying on my bed with my body pounding from the physical exertion, I started to drift off to sleep. The first thing that came to mind was what always came to mind whenever I closed my eyes anymore. The cute brunette diva that has taken my heart, of course. I smiled softly as I thought about the singer and just how wonderful her voice sounded. I started to doze off when something hit me. Today was Saturday. Today was the day I was supposed to be taking Rachel out to dinner! With all the commotion and surprises over the past couple of days, I had completely lost track of the date!

Automatically, I shot upright, ignoring the cries from my abdominal muscles. Glancing at the clock I noted that it was only two thirty. Good, that still gave me five hours until I had to be at Rachel's dorm. I could do this, I had to do this. I'm Quinn fucking Fabray, I could do whatever I wanted to do if I set my mind on it.

With this mind set, I hopped off my bed and started to fine tune the logistics of my dinner with Rachel Berry.

Four hours and forty five minutes later I was waiting outside Rachel's dorm, going through my mental checklist one more time, blushing slightly and not from the cold. I was still thinking back only an hour and a half ago when Olivia had spotted my checklist titled 'Checklist on how to woo Rachel Berry.' Needless to say, she teased me relentlessly until I left in a huff.

I was nervous. I was probably more nervous than I was when I found out I was pregnant with Beth. Rachel made my nervous, but not in a bad way. She made my heart beat so fast, and my thoughts pretty much turned to jelly when she smiled. It goes without saying; tonight was going to be a very embarrassing evening.

Just as I was about to do one last mental review of the plans, the door swung open and out stepped my princess. I couldn't help the love struck grin that plastered itself to my face as I took in her appearance, as she strode my way. As she got closer she waved shyly and pulled her peacoat up closer over her neck, protecting her from the cold weather as she reached me.

"Good evening Quinn, don't you look stunning tonight," she complimented, looking over my outfit. I had to admit, I didn't look too shabby. I was wearing a light beige designer top, under my charcoal wool coat accompanied with a soft blue scarf. My legs were freezing in my black leggings, but it was worth it to receive such a comment from Rachel.

"Thanks, you look amazing yourself!" I gushed, grinning like a fool at the sight before me. I was graced by the view of Rachel's sculpted legs under what I could only imagine to be a sinfully short pink dress. Even though she had her coat on, and buttoned up to her neck, she still looked like an angle.

"Thanks," she said softly, her cheeks turning pink from the cold. I thought this was adorable and I had to fight with myself to not reach out and pinch those cute cheeks of hers. Instead I shuffled closer to her and smiled, offering her my arm. At first she looked hesitant, but eventually gave in and slipped her arm through mine. This ensued in a mental happy dance from my end, and a huge grin to slip onto my face once more.

"So, where are we going? Rachel questioned after we had been walking for nearly fifteen minutes. I only chuckled and shook my head. I heard her let out a stubborn huff and she asked again. I merely shrugged and kept walking.

"You're mean, Quinn Fabray. You could at least tell me where we are going after keeping me in the dark all week," she said grumpily. I sighed and nudged her gently with my elbow. "Don't worry your pretty little head off, Rach. I assure you we will be there very soon," I responded with a small smile in her direction. Same old Rachel, still a little diva at heart. I chuckled and Rachel looked up at me.

"What's so funny up there?" she questioned.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about," I chuckled, earning a glare from the shorter girl.

Just as Rachel opened her mouth to speak again, I stopped and pointed across the road, "We're here."

Rachel's jaw dropped and looked up at my in excitement before squealing and tearing across the road with me in tow.

"How on earth did you get reservations here, Quinn? This place is the most expensive, trendy place in all of New York!" she cried, clearly excited about my place of choice. I merely shrugged and led her through the doors. Immediately we were ushered inside and towards the reservation table. Once our names were ticked off, they showed us to a private booth in the back of the restaurant.

"This is so cool!" Rachel grinned, sliding off her coat and handing it to the waiter. I did the same and thanked him as he walked away to get us some water. I was ecstatic that Rachel liked the place I picked, as I wasn't sure if I was coming off too strong. I probably was, but maybe she would be too excited to notice?

We sat in silence for a minute, taking in the extravagant architecture and decorations adorning the walls of the restaurant before Rachel spoke. "So, how have you been since we spoke last?"

"I've been okay. Practicing a lot, I really need to win that scholarship," I admitted, trusting Rachel to keep that to herself. She nodded sympathetically before she smiled warmly.

"I definitely think you can do it. Have you seen yourself dance, Quinn? You are quite graceful and heartfelt. The way you let your emotions go when you dance is truly admirable. You are the same way with your dancing as I am with my singing. We express ourselves much more clearly while we are in our zones then we do outside of them," Rachel's gentle voice rang on but I was quickly dazing out and concentrating on the shapes her lips made as she spoke. How much I'd give to kiss those lips, to nip one between my teeth and to shove my tongue… "Quinn!" Rachel's voice cut through my daydream and I flushed, realizing I had been ignoring her. More importantly, I had been ignoring her while staring hungrily at her lips. I mumbled my apology and stared at my lap, my cheeks flushing a deep red at my mistake.

"It's fine. As I was asking, are you looking forward to going home to Lima for the holidays?" she questioned, coaxing me to finally look her in the eye. I was relieved to see that she was amused, not put off by my rude behaviour from before.

"Uh, yeah. I was looking forward to spending time with my mom. There's a lot I need to talk to her about," I replied evenly, my eyes trailing across the brunettes features. She smiled comfortingly before crocking her head to the side.

"Not to be intrusive, but does she know you are romantically interested in woman?" She asked curiously, a small frown playing on her lips. I nodded, and smiled to comfort her worries I'm sure she had in her mind. "Mom knows, and she's fine with it. She's even taken PFLAG meetings to learn more about my lifestyle. However, I'm very glad that Russel is out of the house. If he was still there, I really don't know what would have happened," I trailed off, becoming lost in my thoughts until I felt Rachels soft hand grasp mine. She smiled and gave my hand a quick squeeze, "don't worry Quinn, you will always be able to come to me or my fathers if you need anything at all."

I smiled, and we both blushed when we realized that Rachel was still holding my hand.

The waiter arrived and took our orders. Rachel got vegan lasagne and I got chicken parmesan, shooting a guilty look at Rachel for not ordering vegan. She then went on a spiel about how she doesn't want to force her vegan lifestyle on anyone and that I should enjoy my starved and tortured chicken meal.

While we were waiting for our food, I noticed Rachel staring at me weird. "Quinn," she said all of a sudden, "why do you have a crush on me?"

My eyes went wide and I choked on the water I was drinking, spilling it down the front of my shirt. She looked on apologetically before she urged me on.

"Well, you're beautiful. That's one thing. God, do you even notice how much I stare at you? I can't get enough of your eyes. They are like, the most expressive, emotional eyes I have ever seen…and your lips. Don't even get me started on your lips," I trailed off, thinking it was probably already obvious to why I loved her lips. Apparently that wasn't enough for Rachel, as she urged me on some more. "Oh, well you are so cute. Like, your personality is amazing and adorable. The way you pout makes me like, swoon. While most people find your diva was annoying, I find them endearing. You are always so outspoken, and I love that. Not to mention you are kind, even when someone doesn't deserve it," I paused, staring at her pointedly before continuing. "Rachel, you are just so amazing and I feel like I will never be able to get out all the great things about you because there are just way to many and you make me nervous," I trailed off, awkwardly regretting that that phrase. Rachel only giggled, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I make you nervous Quinn. I shall try not to be so intimidating towards you," she chuckled, gazing into my eyes. I laughed awkwardly before looking down again, once again hiding my ferocious blush. "However, I appreciate all those lovely things you said about me. It's strange to know that someone actually feels those things about me. After going through high school the way that I did, I don't really feel like any of that," she paused and must have noticed the sad look on my face before she hastily continued, "not that that matters anymore! Now that I know why you made fun of me all throughout high school, it's all rather flattering actually. It's almost like a compliment!" she said brightly, her smile bringing a grin to my face.

As we chatted idly while waiting for our meals, I heard my phone buzz several times in my pocket. Not wanting to be rude, I let them go to voicemail and continued on talking to Rachel.

Shortly after our dinner arrived and we were quietly eating in a comfortable silence, my ears perked up at a familiar voice.

"Hey jerkoff, get out of me and my Britt Britts way or I will make you move!" a familiar voice rang across the restaurant. Rachel must have heard it too, as a look of pure horror flashed across her face. My eyes were wide, looking around for any sign of the person that belonged to this voice.

"Sanny, why are there dead roasted ducks on the menu?" another sad familiar voice found its way to our table. Rachel and I exchanged confused glances.

"Those aren't really dead, B. They are just playing dress up," the Latina came into sight as she walked past their table, holding hands with a bouncing Brittany.

Rachel and I froze, as if trying to not let them notice us.

"Sanny, look who it is!" Brittany squealed, pointing at Rachel.

Damn, so close.

Santana turned around, her confusion turning into a smirk as she locked eyes with Rachel.

"Oh! Hi, Quinn!" Britt squealed again, rushing over to wrap me up in a tight hug. Santana only smirked and stopped in front of our table. "What's up, Q?" she asked, taking off her jacket and handing it off to a passing waiter. "Move in," she commanded.

I stared at her, my jaw slack. She merely stared back, daring me to make a scene. I sighed and scooted into the U shaped booth. Rachel did the same on the other side, so that we both ended up sitting next to each other. We glanced at each other nervously before Santana spoke again.

"So, are you two finally banging or what?" she asked crudely, shoving my dinner over in front of me. Brittany only giggled and asked a nearby waiter for some crayons.

Rachel made some sort of gasping noise, and I kicked Santana roughly under the table.

"Ouch!" Rachel squealed, making me apologize profusely to her. The other two ex-cheerio's just stared at us in amusement before ordering their own meals. After a moment, Santana's gaze was back on us. She smirked.

"If you're not fucking, why are you guys here tonight? Oh! Is this your first date? Q, you going to get some Berry action later on?" Santana joked, earning glares from Rachel and I.

"No Santana, Quinn is not going to be getting any action later on, at least not from me," Rachel said coldly, taking my hand under the table and squeezing it reassuringly to ease the pain of her words. I sighed and nodded, still confused as to what the two girls were doing here.

Santana sighed. "Chill out Berry, I know all about this. Do you seriously think Q wouldn't have told us all about her dinner with her long time crush? Me and B just wanted to join you guys for a while and catch up. We were here to surprise Q ," she finished, with as much sincerity as was possible for the Latina. Rachel looked confused, while I just arched my eyebrow at the other girls.

Brittany shrugged and Santana smiled almost warmly, taking B's hand. I couldn't help but think how weird this was.

After a while, Rachel started to calm down from the sudden inclusion of her worst enemy and everyone started to have a pleasant dinner conversation. Aside from only a few crude comments from Santana, and a couple of Brittany moments, dinner went smoothly up and until the other two girls stood up to leave.

"Well, I guess we will leave you two to yourselves. It was nice seeing you guys and we will definitely see more of you over the holidays. Preggo, don't be a bitch and text me once in a while. We will be here for another week, so we should totes hang. Berry, be nice to Q. Bye, losers," the Latina finished and stalked off, quickly followed by the giggling, waving blonde.

The two of us sat there awkwardly for a moment before Rachel started to chuckle, slowly turning into a throaty laugh. It must have been contagious because within moments we were both laughing and shaking our heads at what just happened.

"I can't believe Santana interrupted our first date!" Rachel blurted out amidst her laughing, which made me stop all together. First date? What? Really? I grinned and stared at her, causing the brunette to stop laughing and look at me weird.

"What?"

I grinned some more and blushed, shyly looking at my hands, suddenly shy. "You just said this was our first date…" I trailed off, not looking at her.

There was a beat of silence before Rachel spoke. "Well, isn't it?"

Immediately, my eyes shot to hers in shock. Was she being serious? She smiled gently and bowed her head. "We keep things slow. We take our time and don't rush things," she stated, her voice quiet but I could hear her smile.

I nodded, a question coming to mind. "So, does that mean you have feelings for me?"

Another beat of silence and suddenly Rachel was moving out of her seat, grabbing the bill and running with a smirk to the counter to pay. What a sneaky devil, this was supposed to be my treat. I couldn't help but notice though, that she avoided my question.

She came back a few minutes later, carrying both of our coats. I thanked her, and helped her slip on her coat before I slid my arms into my own and we made our way out of the restaurant.

The walk back to campus was a dream, walking arm in arm with my girlfriend? No, not girlfriend. Not yet. She wanted to take things slow, so I would go slow. I'd wait years for her if I had to. I grinned, imagining us together as adults.

"What are you thinking about that has you grinning, Miss Fabray?" the little diva questioned, smiling up at me. I just blushed and shook my head, returning her knowing grin. We walked a little longer in silence until we reached her dorm room. We stopped a little ways from the steps, and she turned to face me. We stood there awkwardly, neither one of us wanting to make the first move.

"Well uh, thank you for a wonderful first date, Quinn," Rachel beamed before surprising me with a tight hug. I returned the hug just as enthusiastically before letting go. "No, thank you for joining me, Rachel," I grinned, and blushed under her stare.

"Well, goodnight Quinn," she said after a minute. I smiled and waved to her, even though she was only standing a foot away. I was expecting her to run off and into the warmth of her dorm, but what I wasn't expecting was for her to press a soft kiss against my cheek beforehand.

I grinned and watched as she disappeared into the building, before I turned and walked back towards my room. Oh Quinn, what on earth have you gotten yourself into?


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the semester passed smoothly. Instead of completely buckling under the pressure of schoolwork as I had expected to happen, I actually managed to pass all of my courses with respectable marks. I was pleased, but that soon turned to ecstatic when Rachel treated me to a congratulatory lunch. I was a happy camper that day.

Things with Rachel were great. We had gone out on a few more dates, but nothing as large as our first. We hadn't defined what we were yet, but I was fine with that. What mattered to me was that Rachel was willing to spend time with me without running in the opposite direction. She hadn't kissed me again either, but her hugs were plentiful so I couldn't complain. Spending time with the brunette was both amazing and nerve wracking, but only because I had to resist the urge to attack her with my lips whenever she did that cute little pout. With the tiny diva, that happened a lot.

Heading back to Lima for the holidays was something I wasn't exactly looking forward to. During the time I was gone my father had moved back to Lima. My mother had sent me a letter two weeks ago informing me that he has been spotted around town, and that maybe I should stay back at school for the holidays. Even though the thought of being confronted by Russell scared the crap out of me, I dreadfully missed my mom and sadly enough, I was a little homesick. That's why I was now nestled in my mom's car on the way home from the airport, watching the familiar scenery pass by my eyes.

"So, Quinnie," Judy Fabray started, patting my knee softly, "how was your first semester?"

I sighed softly, the memories from the first few months rushing back. Rachel ignoring me, her having coffee with that random guy, the first time I got a smile out of her cute little lips. My frown curved upwards as we passed by the Berry's house, and I could see that Rachel was already there because of the bite sized snow angel on their yard. "Amazing," I finally answered, smiling over at my mother. She returned the smile before joining in with the radio, singing along with the Christmas carols. By the time we pulled up outside our house we were both in fits of laughter and tears. That was until we both noticed a hunched figure sitting on our porch steps.

"Judy!" a deep voice echoed across our lawn as we stepped out of the car. The hunched figure slowly stood up and made his way towards us. "Judy, I have been waiting all afternoon to talk to you. I need to come back, you have to take me back," my father's loud voice boomed from across the car. I glanced over at my mother and noticed fear cross her features. Suddenly pictures from before their divorce flashed inside my head. My father passed out on the couch, drunk off his ass. My mother silently drinking her pain away as my father yelled at her across the room. Mom's face contorted in agony he beat her. The look on my father's face when he was too drunk to care that he was ripping his family apart. Those imaged shook me, and all of a sudden I was in front of my mother, shielding her from his path.

"Get out of here, dad," I yelled, the HBIC in me making its first appearance in a while. Russell only leered and took another step towards us.

"Quinn, this is none of your business. Yes, you have made some bad decisions in the past and it tore our family apart, but I'm willing to forgive you if your mother will have me back," he spoke calmly, but with no hint of kindness across his features. He then locked eyes with mom and his demeanour changed, "Judy. Listen to the voice of reason. You know you still love me, and we can work together as a loving family to fix our daughter. I love you Judy, and I know that someday I will love our daughter again too. Just take me back, and we can be a family together again," he practically begged. For the first time in my life, it actually looked like my father was remorseful. In fact, he looked god damn pathetic with the way he was looking at my mother. I just hoped she wasn't buying his shit.

I was about to speak up when my mother cut me off.

"I will give you thirty seconds to get off my property before I call the police. You are a bastard, Russell. You have no right to show up at my house and accuse my daughter of hurting our family. You hurt our family, Russell! Quinn wasn't the one who was so drunk out of her mind every night that she passed out. She wasn't the one who flushed all of her dignity down the toilet because she was so fucked up that she felt the need to beat up both her doting wife and gentle daughter," Judy practically yelled, causing repressed memories to pop into my head. I shook them away quickly, focusing back in on what my mother was yelling. "And you know what Russell? My Quinnie is not a fuck up! That's just you. Quinn is going to grow up and be a wonderful performer with a beautiful wife and kids who adore her. Now I repeat, get off my property! And if I see you around here anymore, I will file a restraining order. Do you hear me?" Judy spat, walking around me and standing directly in front of my father, who was now scowling. He looked around her and connected eyes with me, sending cold chills down my spine. It was evident he caught the part about me having a wife, and he was not happy. Fortunately for him, he took my mother's threat as a real possibility and made his way off our property. We watched him cross the road and slip into his black BMW before speeding away. We both let out a tired sigh and started hauling my bags into the house.

Later on I made my way over to the Berry's house. It was shortly after supper time and I thought maybe Rachel would like a surprise. I knocked on her door softly, and waited.

The first thing I saw was a tall silhouette behind the door before it swung open to reveal a dark skinned man. "Good evening, and who might this young lady be?" he questioned kindly, wearing a smile that could rival Rachel's. I grinned, and stuck out my hand. "My name is Quinn Fabray, and I was wondering if I could see Rachel?"

He grinned, and I could see the knowing look behind his eyes that made me know that he knew all about who I was. Thankfully, he moved aside and ushered me inside. He took my jacket, and showed me towards the living room where presumably Rachel was. As I turned the corner into the cozy looking room, I spotted the petite brunette sitting cross-legged by a table, playing monopoly with who I could only assume was her other father.

"Excuse me Rachel, I believe you have a guest," the man who answered the door spoke from behind me. Rachel looked up and I swear she looked shocked to see me standing in her living room, a huge grin plastered on my face. "Quinn!" she squeaked, standing up and walking over to me, "what are you doing here?" I shrugged. Her eyebrows knotted together before she ushered both of the men over. "Quinn, these are my fathers. Leroy," she pointed to the man who had let me in before continuing, "And Hiram." The shorter man waved, looking a little confused at the whole situation before Rachel explained to him who I was. After that he shared the same knowing look as his husband. After a minute of silence, the men excused themselves and left Rachel and I alone.

"So, you told your fathers about me?" I joked, earning a small blush from Rachel. "Does this count as meeting the parents?" I attempted to joke again, gaining a chuckle from the brunette. I smiled, loving the easy going vibe between us. I carried on, "so are you going to Puck's Christmas party? I heard everyone's going, and it would be a great opportunity to see everyone again," I finished, silently wishing she was going.

"I guess I could go. I mean, I know I don't celebrate Christmas, but there is no reason to not celebrate the holiday spirit with old acquaintances…," she rambled on, the thought of seeing everyone again clearly getting to her. I grinned and wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulder in a hug as she spoke. It wasn't something I did a lot because my heart would beat madly out of my chest, but she was just being so adorable that I had to do something to stop myself from kissing her.

After a few minutes I drew back and stood up, removing my coat from the hanger. "I guess I'll go. I just wanted to see if you were going to Pucks," I said as I moved towards the door. She smiled and nodded as she followed me. "Couldn't you have just texted me to ask me that?" she questioned, her smile turning into a smirk. I blushed and nodded, before connecting eyes with her. "I guess I just wanted to see you," I spoke softly before turning around and walking out the door. I could feel her eyes on me as I headed back up the street, smiling like a fool until I found my way back home.

Christmas with my mother was a blast. We woke up early and opened our presents while listening to cheesy Christmas songs. My mother gave me a new iPod, some new clothes and a selection of LGBT friendly books and movies. I gave her a necklace I found in a little shop in New York and the complete Denzel Washington collection. She was so excited about her present that we spent the next six hours watching movies while she drooled over the leading man.

Later on that evening I was in mom's car, on the way to Puck's party. Even though I was in college, and was already knocked up once, I still got the mother talk. "Now Quinn, I don't want you to come stumbling in the house at three am pissed drunk. I am realistic and I know you have probably drank before, and that's fine. I don't mind if you have a few drinks honey, just don't overdo it. Remember your father," and that was all my mother had to say before I nodded, understanding.

She pulled up outside his house and left me with a kiss and a goodbye before she drove off, honking at a few of the neighbourhood kids as she passed by. I chuckled and made my way into the house. I was amazed with how much my mother had changed since her divorce with dad. Gone was the woman who sat by and watched as Russell kicked me out of the house. She was replaced by a strong, confident, fun loving woman who would do anything for her daughter.

"Quinn!" A series of exclaims erupted around the room as several of my old classmates wrapped me up in hugs. I returned them, enjoying seeing everyone again. I slowly made my way through the crowd until I found the group I was looking for. Puck was already drunk and had his arm wrapped around Mercedes, who actually looked pleased with the situation. Santana and Brittany were making out on the couch, deaf to the world. Artie and Mike were chatting idly, watching Tina in the distance making out with who I could only assume to be her new boyfriend. Finn was standing there awkwardly, sipping on a beer. I heard Kurt before I saw him, bitching to Blaine about how his shirt didn't match the rest of his outfit. I giggled however when Blaine silenced his boyfriend by a fierce kiss that apparently knocked the bitch right out of him. My giggle must have alerted the rest of the club to my presence as they all turned to look before some shoot up and wrapped me in more hugs.

"Baby mama, it's great to see you! Now all that's left is my hot Jew and we're all set!" Puck slurred from his spot next to Mercedes. "Have you met my new girl? She's fine," he grinned, wrapping his arm tighter around a giggling Mercedes. I smiled at them both before stiffening as I felt an arm wrap around my waist. Spinning around I came face to face with nothing. It wasn't until I looked down that I noticed Rachel there, grinning up at me. I laughed and let her get her hugs from everyone before pulling her off into the kitchen for drinks.

"You look lovely tonight, Rach," I complimented, setting up two shots. Mom said not to overdo it, but this wasn't overdoing it. I could have a few drinks and still be fine to go home later on. I pushed one of the shots towards Rachel, who eyed it uncertainly. I smiled, "you don't have to drink it if you don't want to. No pressure. I'll have it if you don't want it," I chuckled. She looked contemplative for a second before she picked up the shot and raised it up.

"On the count of three," she said, smirking. My eyebrows shot up and I hastily picked up my own shot, raising it with hers. "One, two, three!" she practically yelled before downing her shot with a sputter. I downed mine easily, grinning before setting up two more. Those ones went down better for her as she grew accustomed to the burn of the alcohol. Deciding that this was enough for the both of us, at least for now, I took her hand and pulled her off towards the living room again.

We spent the better part of the night being teased by Santana and hit on by Puckerman, who was rightfully reprimanded by his girlfriend. Turns out that my show at the end of high school had made its way to everyone's ears, and they all knew about my huge crush on Rachel. This resulted in taunts towards both of us, which in turn had us blushing and giggling like mad. It wasn't until most of the people left just after two am did Rachel and I get to spend some time alone. We were sprawled out on one of the couches in the empty basement, enjoying the quiet after the party.

"Rachel," I slurred, still a little fuzzy from the booze, "do you like me?" Rachel giggled and rested her head on my shoulder, clearly a lot more buzzed then me. "Of course I like you Quinn, why else would I be here if I didn't?" she responded, moving her face a little closer to mine. She buried her face into my neck, sending shivers over my body as I felt her hot breath against me.

"I mean, do you like like me," I breathed out, trying to control the small feeling that was growing in my stomach just from her breath on my skin. Everything was silent for a moment before I felt her place a gently kiss on the crook of my neck. It was soon followed by heavier, sloppier kisses as she made her way up to my mouth. When her lips finally found mine it was like a fire had been lit between us and we were fuelled by the sheer magnetic attracted that appeared the second we came together. Her lips were like silk, and her body moved on top of mine like we were meant to fit together. I was in pure bliss as her hands roamed over my torso, sliding gently under the hem of my blouse. It was like a dream, a dream too good to be true as Finn abruptly walked in on us.

"Oh uh hey, Rach. Hey, Quinn." He said awkwardly, causing both of us to break apart panting. I glared, HBIC coming back for the second time during this trip home. He looked scared and squeaked out some excuse about going to find Puck before he ran out of there. Rachel pulled back, her hazy eyes locking with mine before she shook her head and slid off me. I started to panic, this wasn't good.

"Rachel, wait-" I was cut off by a hand signalling me to stop. She shook her head and moved her hand to her mouth before booting it out of the kitchen, towards the nearest bathroom. Only seconds later I heard the evident splash of vomit as it hit the water. I waited a few minutes before Rachel came back out, quite a lot more sober then she was before.

"I have to go," she said brusquely, ignoring my pleading and attempts to get a hug from the shorter girl. It wasn't until she left did I finally realise what just happened. I held back my tears and said my goodbyes, shooting one last painful glare at Finn before trudging my way back home. Once I was safely inside my house, I let a few tears fall. Slowly but surely I made my way upstairs. I stumbled around my room, changing into my pyjamas as I went. I was going to get into my bed, but at the last minute walked out and ended up standing next to my mother's bed, watching her sleeping form.

"Mom?" I whimpered, not sure if I wanted to wake her. She stirred a little, but settled back down. I tried again, "Mommy? Mommy, I really need a hug," I practically sobbed out. This time she woke up, looking a little confused before she understood what was going on.

"Oh baby, come here," she soothed, scooting over and pulling the blankets back. I slid in and snuggled closer to my mother, finally letting the heart wrenching sobs loose. After all this leading on, and all of our progress, Rachel had rejected me. Once again, I was back to where I started. It wasn't until I had drained every ounce of energy I had left pouring my heart out about Rachel, did I finally fall asleep.

**A/N: What do you think? I know you all hate me, I'm sorry! Only about 3-4 chapters left of this story. Let me know what you think in the comments. Sorry if the grammar is bad, I'm so tired and I can't stay awake another second to read it over. Hope you are at least enjoying the story :) **

**-Alyssa**


	11. Chapter 11

"She'll come around."

I sighed and dropped back against the couch, feeling Olivia sink down next to me. We had been back to school for three weeks now, and I hadn't heard from Rachel since Puck's party. Even after countless texts, calls and even a couple of trips to her dorm, she still managed to avoid me like I was the plague. I don't even know what happened. One second she seemed really into me, then the next she was gone. Then again, it is Rachel Berry we're talking about. As much as I was hopelessly into her, she was a total drama queen.

"I just wish I knew why she was ignoring me. It's completely unfair. Just when I thought I was winning her over, the other shoe drops and she's gone again. I can't keep calling her, Olivia. She's going to think I'm even more of a stalker then I'm sure she already thinks I am. On top of all of this, the concert is in three weeks and I'm totally not ready!" I panicked, groaning in frustration with it all.

I felt Olivia place a comforting hand on my shoulder which I gladly accepted. "Maybe you just need to give her a little space, Darlin. Leave her alone for a few weeks and maybe she will come to you? I'm sure all of this is just as hard on her as it is for you. Imagine thinking you were straight then realizing you have feelings for a certain hot blonde who happens to be a girl? I don't dare say it was easy on the poor girl. I say you spend a few weeks perfecting your routine, and then let everything else happen when it happens. If it's meant to happen, it will," Olivia's soft southern drawl came from besides me, her arm snaking around my shoulders for a tight one armed hug. When she moved away and stood up, I sighed. If only it was that easy to forget about the little brunette, I wouldn't be in this mess right now.

Olivia dismissed herself to go study, leaving me to wallow by myself. I slid my phone out of my jeans pocket and hit speed dial, the voice picking up on the first ring.

"What do you want, Preggers," Santana's voice rang from the speaker. I shook my head at the long overused nickname.

"I was just calling to see if you were still going to come to New York for the benefit next month"

"Yeah, B and I already gots our tickets. Is that all? Cause' I was getting ready to cuddle up with my girl for a Jersey Shore marathon. You know how B is," Santana waivered off at the end. I snorted out my laughter.

"Whatever Santana, you can't lie to me. You know you love Jersey Shore as much, if not even more then B," I chuckled at the irritated mumbles coming through the phone.

"Whatever Q. Seriously though, is that all? Britt's right here lookin' all hot and I want to get my mack on," Santana spoke, clearly irritated. I paused, contemplating dumping all of this on my best friend before deciding against it. "Nah, that was all. Have fun with B!" I said, as cheerfully as I could muster.

"Peace Q, and tell your little munchkin that if she hurts you I'll cut a bitch," she finished and the line went dead. I sighed and shook my head at Santana's words.

Instead of studying, I changed into sweats and a tank before gathering my routine bag and left the dorm. I made my way slowly across campus and found an empty studio, locking the door behind me. I set my bag down and dug around for my new CD before gearing up to create a new set.

I spent the better part of three hours practicing and perfecting my new song selection, feeling rather happy with the results. There was just no way I could go on doing my old song when I was feeling the way I was.

Sweating and sore, I trudged my way back across campus, only pausing outside of Rachel's dorm building. It was dark outside, so I could see that there was a light on in her room. Taking a glance at myself, I noted that I wasn't exactly in top condition to try and win Rachel back. However that didn't stop me as seconds later I was making my way up the stairs and down the hall. It wasn't difficult to tell which room was Rachel's due to the extravagant decorations on the outside of her door. I chuckled, but braced myself before knocking softly.

My heart sped when I heard the distinct sound of Rachel's laughter coming from the other side of the door. This was it, she was actually in there. I was just going to be straight up and let her know that it's ok to be scared and that I was willing to wait for her to be comfortable about our relationship before going public. I put on a smile before the door cracked open and Rachel popped her head out.

"Wha-Quinn?" She squeaked out, her mouth gaping. I waved awkwardly, suddenly unsure of my plan. I shuffled a little on my feet, not really positive on how to tackle the situation. "I was just wondering if maybe we could talk about what happened. You haven't been returning my messages or calls, so I was wondering if you were avoiding me…" I trailed off, realizing I sounded dumb. Of course she was avoiding me. Rachel only stared at me, seemingly frozen, so I continued. "I know I come off desperate sometimes, but you've got to know how much I care about you Rachel. If I have any shot at this, I'm going to grab it. You're like, the best girl I've ever met," I paused, collecting my thoughts before I started to whisper. "When you kissed me, I could easily say it was the best moment ever, next to choosing a better life for Beth. I felt something that night, and I know you did too. If you're scared, I'll help you. We don't need to go public. I'll wait for you Rachel…" I trailed off, tears brimming my eyes.

Rachel seemed to have regained her sense of motion, as she was now staring at the floor, her dark eyes swirling with emotion. Tears slowly started to pool up in her eyelids, threatening to spill out at any moment. I was about to speak again to console her before I heard a deep voice come from within her room.

"Rach," the man's voice drew closer and I could see tousled hair appearing over Rachel's shoulder, "Who's at the door?"

Slowly the door opened wide, revealing the scene inside. I gasped as the tears sprung to my eyes. Rachel was clad in only a robe opened loosely at the top, making it pretty evident she wasn't wearing much. Behind her, I recognized the same guy from the diner, clothed in nothing but his boxers. I glanced behind them at her bed, noticing that it looked like it had been recently vacated. My ears started to thud as I processed what was going on in front of me.

"Rach, who's this?" he prodded, wrapping his arms around the diva's waist and pressing a wet kiss against her neck. The simple motion made me sick to my stomach so I turned away, shaking back the urge to punch this asshole in the face for touching her like that.

Instead of turning back to watch their no doubt sickening display of affection, I proceeded to walk back the way I came, determined to hold in my heartbreak at least until I was out of earshot. It wasn't until I felt a small hand tug me around did I realize I wasn't doing a very good job. Tears we're running down my face while small sobs pushed their way out of my throat. One look at Rachel's sad, sorry eyes didn't help me either. I just got angry, really angry. I wrenched my arm out of her grasp and started to back away, shaking my head. There was no way I was going to deal with this, not after almost a month of her ignoring me.

"Quinn, wait!" Rachel all but screamed, taking a few hesitant steps towards me, but to no avail. I was hurting and I was pissed. "No Rachel, go back and be with your stupid ugly boyfriend. I thought we had something! I thought that when _you_ kissed _me_, that that meant something. Apparently not. Have a great fucking life, Rachel Berry," I spat, spinning around and taking off around the corner.

I ran all the way back to my dorm, slamming the door and finally letting out the scream I was holding in since I saw that douche bag's arms wrapped around the brunette. Olivia came running out of her room clutching her chest, wrapping me up in her arms as I collapsed with grief.

She helped me to my room and got me to lie down, my body letting out heart wrenching sobs from the pictures I couldn't get out of my head. The love of my life and that idiot were probably fucking each other at this second, not giving a shit who the hell they hurt.

My sobs seemed to go on forever, but eventually they must have stopped as I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**A/N: DON'T HATE ME! D: I know you all do right now though anyways. Either way, I was just going to finish this story tonight, however I'm super hungover and my body is protesting me writing anymore right now. Don't worry guys, I love happy endings. One, MAYBE two chapters left. I had to cut back again because I really really am running out of time. Thanks for reading though, and don't stop just yet! You have to keep reading for Quinn, she needs support right now! **


	12. Chapter 12

"Q, it's time to get up," a soft voice wafted into my slumber. I groaned, but cuddled back into my blankets, quickly settling back in. I could vaguely hear shuffling and the sound of stomping before suddenly I was groping for the covers which had been tore off my body. I groaned again and rolled onto my back, inching open an eye.

"Q, get your lazy ass out of bed before I throw this bucket of ice cold water on you," Santana's harsh voice came from beside me. I sighed and slid into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes and looking around my room. Brittany and Santana had obviously arrived and were now staring at me expectantly. Not really much to my surprise, Santana actually had a bucket of ice water sitting next to her on the floor.

"B, would you mind getting Q a glass of orange juice? She needs to get up and start getting ready for her big day today," Santana spoke sweetly to her girlfriend, shooting me a pointed look at the end. Brittany smiled and left for the kitchen, closing the door behind her. I watched as Santana came to sit down next to me on my bed with a look one rarely got to see on the Latina. "Quinn, I know you're still hurting about Rachel. Olivia told us that you've pretty much locked yourself in your room for the past few weeks, only leaving for classes. I understand that she hurt you, I really do, but the only way to show her that you are the stronger person is if you go out there today and kick some ass with your moves. You know your mom is here right? We were speaking to her earlier and she is so excited to see you perform. So come on Quinn, get your butt out of bed and start stretching, because you are going to win that scholarship and you know it," She said with a grin, standing up and offering me a hand to get up. I couldn't help but let a small smile grace my lips as I took my best friend's hand and stood up, wrapping my arms around her shoulders in a tight hug.

"Thanks, Santana," I mumbled into the hug.

"No problem, Q, but could you please get off me? You're cramping my style," she joked, pushing me back lightly. "Now get ready and let's go show that bitch who's the real boss around here." And with that she was gone, leaving me to get showered and ready.

A half hour later I stepped out of my room wearing a black tank top and leggings, my outfit of choice for this song. I wanted my emotions to be the only thing people noticed without the distraction of a flashy costume. My friends already had a light breakfast made for me, which I chowed down on thankfully. After a quick make up check and last stops to the restroom, we all left the house together.

Olivia was chatting Santana's ear off, while Brittany was gripping her girlfriends hand to stop her from saying something snarky to the redhead. I could only shake my head at them, loving how the two balanced each other out. I suddenly felt another pang of hurt, the scene at Rachel's dorm popping into my mind. I frown, fishing for my iPod to try and block out the images that were now turning into a replay.

Just as the concert hall was coming into view, my song switched to a song I forgot I had. Out of nowhere, I knew this was it. This was the song I had to perform today. Even though I never practiced and perfected for this song, there was no way I would be able to go up on that stage and perform to anything other than this.

From that moment on until we reached the hall, I was plotting out my routine.

My heart was beating out of my chest as I watched the dancer before me. I was nervous and worried, even as I spotted my mother in the third row. I watched as Santana and Brittany settled in besides her and they exchanged excited words. I searched around the crowd again, but I still couldn't see the one person I was looking for. The one person I was longing to see before I went on stage today. She was the one person that would be able to sooth me and make everything right again. Rachel Berry was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly the crowd was clapping and the girl before me took her leave across the stage. My heart was going to blow out of my chest as the announcer took to the stage and announced their next performer. I watched as my mother and best friends lit up at my name, cheering with the rest of the crowd as the lights dimmed. A single spotlight appeared in the middle of the stage. This was it, with or without Rachel. As the music started, I made my way out on stage.

_lala, lalalala, lala, lalala_

_I like your smile_

_I like your vibe_

_I like your style_

_But that's not why I love you_

_And I, I like the way, you're such a star_

_But that's not why I love you, hey_

_Do you feel, do you feel me, do you feel what I feel too_

_Do you need, do you need me, do you need me…_

The spotlight erupted into thousands of little blue lights, swirling around the stage like the night sky. I let my body take over as the song picked up.

_You're so beautiful_

_But that's not why I love you_

_I'm not sure you know_

_That the reason I love you, is you_

_Being you, just you_

_Yeah the reason I love you_

_Is all that we've been through_

_And that's why I love you_

_lala, lalalala, lala, lalala_

I could hear the cheers from the crowd, but all I could think about was the petite brunette that stole my heart.

_I like the way you misbehave_

_When we get wasted_

_But that's not why I love you_

_And how you keep your cool when I am complicated_

_But that's not why I love you, hey_

_Do you feel, do you feel me, do you feel what I feel too_

_Do you need, do you need me, do you need me…_

Finally when I chanced a glance in the crowd, my eyes locked with the ones I so desperately wanted to see. I smiled through the pain of the memories that haunted me as the chorus started.

_You're so beautiful_

_But that's not why I love you_

_And I'm not sure you know_

_That the reason I love you, is you_

_Being you, just you_

_Yea the reason I love you_

_Is all that we've been through_

_And that's why I love you_

_Yeah, oh, oh_

I locked eyes with Rachel for the next part, making sure she knew this was for her.

_Even though we didn't make it through_

_I am always here for you, yeah_

_You're so beautiful_

_But that's not why I love you_

_And I'm not sure you know_

_That the reason I love you, is you_

_Being you, just you_

_Yea the reason I love you_

_Is all that we've been through_

_And that's why I love you…_

As the song drew to a close, the steady hum of growing applause made its way to my ears and I grinned, my emotions finally out in the open. I could hear the distinct voices of my friends and family yelling praises, making me smile some more as I bowed and made my way off the stage.

Once behind the curtain, I was met with more applause and a few clasps on the back by fellow dance students. Mrs. Sanchez was there, and she gave me a proud smile. I couldn't help but smile at everyone, feeling happier than I have been in a long while. Sighing contently, I changed into the jeans and blouse I had brought with me for afterwards, and made my way out from behind the scenes and into the full concert hall. As I made my way towards my friends, people around me were smiling and congratulating me on a great performance. By the time I made my way to Santana and Brittany, I was giddy.

"Oh my god, Q you were amazing!" Brittany squealed, crushing me in a hug. I grinned and hugged back, making eye contact with my teary eyed mother. Once Brittany let me go and Santana patted me on the back, I made my way over to my mom.

"Oh, Quinnie you were beautiful up there! To think that my daughter is capable of such an overwhelming performance! I'm so proud of you, little girl," my mom cooed, hugging me tight. I grinned, a few tears falling free. I really missed my mom some times.

We all spent a few minutes catching up, soon leaving the concert hall for some air. Just as we were about to leave the foyer, I heard my name being called and I hung back, knowing exactly who it was.

"Quinn," Rachel breathed, her crying evident from her puffy eyes. I heard Santana start to protest but B quickly shushed her and the three of them made their way outside. I smiled faintly down at the diva, trying to keep my composure strong. I heard her sniffle, and suggested we go somewhere a little more private then the middle of the foyer. She agreed and we made our way into one of the small sitting areas, which was empty.

Rachel sat across from me, her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking every once in a while. I knew how she felt, as I had been feeling it on and off for the past couple of years. In fact, I wanted to join her, cuddle up on the couch with her and sob together. That didn't happen though, as I still had questions and I wanted to seem strong.

After a few minutes Rachel wiped her eyes and locked them on me, her mouth moving but nothing coming out. A moment later her voice came back to her. "I'm so sorry, Quinn," her voice broke. I nodded, holding back my own tears. She took a breath and stared at the floor, so very unlike the Rachel Berry I knew who was never shy. "I never meant to hurt you. I was just confused and I didn't know what else to do to figure it out," she spoke quietly, though I picked up every word. Anger jolted up in my body, but just one look at Rachel's broken posture eased it back down. I took a deep breath, still trying to hold back my tears.

"So, you slept with that sleaze bag because you were confused about your feelings for me. Am I correct?" I questioned. Even though I knew it was true, my heart lurched when she shook her head yes. She had slept with him, only weeks after making out with her and leading her on. The thought alone nearly broke my walls down. I tensed up, moving to my feet. Rachel watched with startled eyes.

"I was serious in the song Rachel. If you need me, I will always, always be there for you. I love you, Rach. However I think I need a little time to think this over and you need some time to sort out your feelings," I was cut off with Rachel pleading me not to go, but I shook my head. I had to go or this would end worse than it was. "Come find me when you are sure about your feelings. I'm really tired of being hurt all the time," I finished, knowing this came off spiteful. I mentally winced at how Rachel must be feeling, but I knew this had to be done. We both needed this time to think.

Leaving her with a faint smile, I made my way back to my friends and worried mother, bent on spending as much time with them as I could before they left and I was stuck with only one person on my mind.

**A/N: What do you think? Should I leave it here? :D Muahaha…**

**Do you guys still hate Rachel? **

**Do you think Quinn did the right thing?**

**Do you want a sequel in a few months? **

**Do you share my love for Santana's character?**

**Let me know in the comments!**


	13. Chapter 13

I stepped out of the car, grabbed my bag and thanked my mom for the ride, before I made my way towards the front door. Before knocking I straightened out my sundress and fixed my hair, trying to put on my best smile for when the door opened. I knocked and waited.

"Quinn! You're here!" the voice boomed, wrapping me up in a hug and twirling me around. I laughed and hugged back, missing my old friends.

"Yes, I'm here Puck. You did invite me, remember?" I giggled, teasing the muscular boy. He grinned down at me and showed me out back to where everyone else was. I was greeted with hugs by Tina and Mercedes, who were also back in Lima for the summer. We chatted for a bit, catching up on lost time. Mike and Artie seemed to have formed some sort of bond since Christmas, when it was revealed that Tina was engaged. Finn and Kurt arrived together, with Kurt's boyfriend in tow. We all shared hugs and awkward conversation as I tried to forget about Finn's interruption the last time I saw him. Thinking about this made me wonder where the brunette was, or if she was even coming.

"The party can start now, I'm here," the Latinas voice rang out as her and B made their way into the back yard. Everyone laughed and scoffed at Santana's behaviour, commenting on how she hasn't changed one bit. Santana smirked and nodded, pushing Mike into the pool. Nope, she hadn't changed at all.

Everyone mingled, and shared stories about what had happened in everyone's lives since the holidays. They all gave me hugs and congratulations when I announced that I won the scholarship. We learned how Kurt got accepted into Fashion school for the fall, and that he and Blaine would be joining us in New York. Santana smirked and informed the feminine boy that he better get used to her, as her and B were going to be moving there as well. His face paled considerably after that. Santana only continued to smirk and laughed. Mercedes was staying in Lima while she worked out the kinks in her recording contract, while Tina was still going to school to be a nurse. The rest didn't really know what they wanted to do with their lives, but they were attending community college to try and figure it out. I smiled, proud of all my friends and what they were doing with their lives. There was only one person missing, that I was disappointed never came.

"Guys, was Rachel invited?" I questioned, staring at Puck. He nodded and shrugged, not sure why she wasn't here yet. Everyone shared glances, no doubt that they all knew what went down the last time Rachel and I spoke.

The party went on, everyone getting in the pool for a game of Marco polo, resulting in Finn wading around the water while everyone else was on the ground, silently laughing at the tall boy.

It was now approaching evening and Puck was starting up the grill. Everyone's stomachs were grumbling and the boys were getting grouchy with hunger. I only chuckled and shook my head as Mike and Finn started arguing over which video game was the best one. I was so engrossed in their petty argument that I jumped when I felt a soft hand touch my shoulder.

"Hey, Quinn," the voice I had been dreaming about came softly from behind me. I took my time turning around, a small smile planted on my lips. Rachel smiled back and motioned for me to follow her inside. As we passed by Santana, she glared at Rachel, looking pointedly at me. I patted her on the shoulder, sending her a confident smile before following the diva into the house. Once we both made our way into the living room, things got a little awkward. We were both quiet for a minute, which only made my heart start to pick up pace at what she was going to say.

"About what you said last time we spoke, I have figured it out," she spoke confidently, finally meeting my eyes. I smiled, crooking my head to the side, waiting for her to continue. I watched as she took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment before locking them with mine. "I think, no, I know that my feelings for you are more than just friendly," she spoke, pausing for a moment to catch her breath, "Almost as if it could be, unless I am mistaken, love." She then proceeded to ramble about how her earlier actions were wrong, how sorry she was and how she was just scared. I grinned as she ranted on, happy as hell just to hear her voice again. Suddenly, I cut her off mid-ramble in a soft kiss. She pulled back slightly, finally ceasing her apologies before she brushed her lips against mine and we were lost to this world. It didn't matter what happened in the past, because that's exactly what it was. All that matter right now was what would happen in the future and how we were going to make it work. As we drew back, I could see the happiness in Rachel's eyes. I knew right then, that we would be okay.

"Stop mackin' in the house and come join the party!" Santana called into the room, tearing us apart and pushed us towards the door. "But seriously Berry, if you hurt my girl again I rest well on my promise to cut a bitch," she warned before we reached the rest of the group. Rachel only took my hand and gave it a squeeze while leaning up to capture my lips in hers, showing that she wasn't scared anymore. When she pulled back we were met with wolf whistles and 'you go girls!' from the other teens.

B and I were sprawled across one of the lounge chairs, watching the new formed couple interact with the rest of the group. I let my hand wander lovingly through my girls hair, not caring if the rest of them thought I was a sap.

"San, I'm glad that Quinn and Rachel are happy again. Aren't you?" Brittany questioned softly, looking up at me with her beautiful eyes.

I smiled back down at her, pecking her on the lips gently before looking back up at Quinn. She had the petite brunette wrapped up in her arms, grinning madly like a school girl in love. Which, I guess she was. I smiled. "Yeah, B. I'm really glad."

**A/N: Guys, I wasn't actually going to leave you like that. I'm not mean, plus it rots me when people do that in stories/movies haha **

**The song in the last chapter was I Love You by Avril Lavigne, by the way. I meant to put it in the author's note but I forgot. **

**Anyways, I'm glad you all took the time to read my first Faberry story :) Tell me what you thought of it in the reviews! Thank you so so so so so much again to those of you who stuck through til the end :) You guys are awesome! Stay tuned for more Faberry goodness when I come back from school in December :)**

**THE END**


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